Chapter 43: Someone Ran Away

Chapter 43: Someone Ran Away

Shi Ling received the message when Ji Mingxiu had already bought the ingredients and they were sitting in Ji Mingxiu's house.

Although Ji Mingxiu's kitchen was very clean, it was also well-equipped.

Shi Ling was even surprised when Ji Mingxiu brought out the hot pot.

It was even a divided hot pot.

After cleaning the pot, Ji Mingxiu placed it in the living room. "Shi Ling, do you eat spicy food?"

When it came to spicy food, Shi Ling was the type who wasn't good at it but loved eating it. However, he had self-awareness, so in response to Ji Mingxiu's question, he held up his finger, indicating a small amount. "Just a little."

Ji Mingxiu understood. "Alright, we'll cook in two pots then. If you find it too spicy, just dip it in the clear broth."

Shi Ling was quite satisfied and nodded. Just as he was about to flatter Boss Ji, his WeChat dinged.

"Huh?" he said. "The Zhou family really sent people to approach the others in our project. Fang Lingyun said Senior Jiang has already been contacted..."

Ji Mingxiu, who was organizing the ingredients in the kitchen, snorted upon hearing this. "They're quite fast, but they're overestimating themselves, doing useless work."

Shi Ling nodded. "Indeed, instead of trying to take advantage of other people's projects, they should focus on restructuring their own company. If they seize the opportunity for reform, they might be able to turn things around!"

Ji Mingxiu carried a plate of washed meat out of the kitchen and, hearing Shi Ling's words, just smiled. "It's not that simple. The Zhou family's deep-rooted problems have been there for decades. Reform would require drastic measures. Besides, even if Zhou Zhengde wanted to reform, those good-for-nothing parasites deeply entrenched in the Zhou family wouldn't be willing to let go of the benefits they've already swallowed."

"Still, the fact that they went to Senior Jiang first... I thought they'd come to you first. Although you've been ignoring them, there's still a blood relation. As long as there's a relation, they'll try to build connections."

Shi Ling pouted. "How shameless. But they might have tried to contact me first. I just didn't answer because I was changing my phone card at the time. I didn't even pick up Senior Jiang's call."

Ji Mingxiu said, "That's not bad."

However, Shi Ling was still a bit worried. "Senior Jiang and Fang Lingyun are fine, they've seen and heard too much for the Zhou family to deceive them. But I'm worried about Mo Jin and Shao Qin."

Ji Mingxiu said, "Don't worry too much. You can have Senior Jiang tell them a similar story. The Jiang family has never been peaceful. With some embellishment, those two college kids from your dorm might get scared."

Shi Ling: ...

He gave Ji Mingxiu a rather speechless look.

Is it really okay to scare them like that?

Ji Mingxiu brought out the prepared ingredients from the kitchen one by one, filling the table. He dropped a slice of beef roll into the boiling hot pot. "Let's eat first!"

After the hot pot meal, following the rule that the cook doesn't wash the dishes, Shi Ling headed into the kitchen first.

Although Ji Mingxiu's house was fully equipped and there was no need for him to wash anything, he just needed to put the dishes in the dishwasher. The only thing he needed to wash was the divided hot pot.

Just then, his phone on the living room table rang.

Sitting in the living room, having just opened his laptop to handle some work, Ji Mingxiu heard it and instinctively glanced over. It was an unknown number.

He narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue.

Those who wanted to reach out would eventually find a way, not giving up just because they were temporarily blocked.

They were quite shameless.

Thinking this, he called out to Shi Ling in the kitchen, "Shi Ling, there's a call for you. It's an unknown number."

Shi Ling was tied up at the moment. "Unknown number? General Manager Ji, could you answer it for me? I didn't have time to set a password when I changed my phone, so you can just swipe to answer."

Since Shi Ling had said so, Ji Mingxiu didn't hold back.

He picked up Shi Ling's phone, which was the same model as his own, and waited for the person on the other end to speak.

"Xiao Ling, you finally answered the phone."

Ji Mingxiu didn't know who it was. It was a woman's voice, but the way she addressed him made him feel uncomfortable, especially the nickname.

He had never called Shi Ling something so affectionate!

Ji Mingxiu responded rather bluntly, "Shi Ling is busy right now. Do you have something to say?"

The other end obviously froze for a moment, and only after Ji Mingxiu repeated, "What do you want?" did she stammer, "I... I am Shi Ling's mother. I just... wanted to talk to Xiao Ling..."

Ji Mingxiu couldn't help but laugh. "Real mother or stepmother? Either way, it doesn't make much of a difference. When I first met Shi Ling, he was struggling to pay tuition at Jing University. If he really had a mother, he wouldn't have fallen into such dire straits."

"If I remember correctly, your stepmother, Madam Ling, is still with the Zhou family. What, is the Zhou family trying to play the emotional card now that Shi Ling is doing something worthwhile?"

Although she couldn't see Ji Mingxiu, the tone in his voice made it clear to Madam Ling that the man who had answered the phone for Shi Ling was not someone to be trifled with.

She mumbled, "No, no, I just... haven't seen Xiao Ling in a long time and wanted to see him."

Ji Mingxiu snorted. "At this time? Shi Ling has to prepare for the project and his final exams. And it's right after their project's release. You're telling me you just want to see him? How am I supposed to believe that?"

"Madam Ling, out of respect for the fact that you and your husband raised Shi Ling for eighteen years, I'm advising you: the Zhou family is not a good place. Think carefully about who you're dealing with. I suggest you know your limits and quit while you're ahead."

The other end fell silent for a long time before sighing, as if letting something go. "I understand. Thank you."

"Although I don't know who you are, I can tell you're considering Xiao Ling's best interests. In that case, please tell him that we, his parents, have wronged him. We were planning to visit him before we returned home, but hearing you say he's very busy and it's not a good time to meet, it's indeed inappropriate for us to disturb him now. We won't go looking for him."

"Sigh, that's all then."

After that, she hung up.

Ji Mingxiu: ...

This time, he was left speechless.

Shi Ling's adoptive parents—what exactly is going on with them?

Just at that moment, Shi Ling finished cleaning the kitchen and walked out, seeing that Ji Mingxiu looked quite puzzled. He asked, "What's wrong? Who was on the phone just now?"

Ji Mingxiu replied, "Your mom."

Shi Ling: "Ah?"

Ji Mingxiu corrected, "Your adoptive mother, just now..."

He repeated the conversation to Shi Ling: "So, what exactly does Ms. Ling mean by this?"

Shi Ling pondered for a moment and guessed, "It's possible that they want to run away?"

Ji Mingxiu was confused, "Run away?"

Shi Ling nodded, "Probably. They likely sensed something was off with the Zhou family and are worried they might get involved. So, while things haven't blown up yet, they're planning to make a run for it."

Although the Shi Yuan couple weren't particularly influential figures, they were quite insignificant compared to the major families in Beijing. In the original storyline that Shi Ling knew, they were barely mentioned, and by the later stages, they didn't appear at all.

They were just ordinary people with their own little schemes, appearing as background characters. But even such small fry had their own way of surviving. They had a sense of self-awareness, were good at reading the situation, and once they sensed trouble, they would abandon any plans and immediately drop anything that might be disadvantageous to them.

For example, their own biological son, whom they had hoped would rise with the tide.

Shi Ling speculated that if the original storyline's protagonist, Zhou Su, was caught up in a battlefield of interests as she is now, the reason the Shi Yuan couple never appeared again in the later storyline might be because they had sensed the turmoil beneath the surface of the Zhou family and decided to run away early.

After listening to Shi Ling's analysis, Ji Mingxiu couldn't help but admire the Shi Yuan couple. "Their insight is quite impressive."

After all, even though everyone was saying that the Zhou family was on the decline and suffering from internal rigidity, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse. The current Zhou family could still maintain the appearance of a prestigious family. Even if the Zhou corporation went bankrupt, they would still live more comfortably than most people.

In such a situation, being able to sense the undercurrents within the Zhou family—who could say the Shi Yuan couple weren't sharp?

"But the fact that they left both you and Zhou Su behind..." Ji Mingxiu still found it hard to believe.

He had thought that even if they were leaving, they would at least try to persuade one of them to go with them.

Shi Ling smiled, "Probably because they knew that neither I nor Zhou Su would leave."

Shi Ling's career had already taken off, and as a student at Jing University, his future was limitless. Naturally, he wouldn't leave with them. As for Zhou Su, it was clear that she had chosen her biological parents over her adoptive ones.

Shi Ling sat down on the sofa and changed the subject, "Are you handling work? Still working on the weekend? Such hard work?"

Ji Mingxiu nodded and complained to Shi Ling, "It's the last quarter of the year, so things are piling up. Plus, with my dad and second uncle..."

Thinking about how the older generation of his family was just waiting to retire, leaving him and his brother to handle everything domestically and overseas, he had a lot to vent about. "Those two old men aren't in any hurry to retire, and they won't move unless it's something really urgent!"

As Ji Mingxiu vented, Shi Ling occasionally offered some comfort, "Maybe Uncle is trying to train you? After all, the company will eventually be handed over to you. If he helps you too much now and something goes wrong later, it could be a big issue. Once he fully retires and is out of the company, his control over it will decrease. Even if he wanted to help you then, he wouldn't be able to do much."

Ji Mingxiu chuckled, "You're giving him too much credit. He just wants to retire early and finds dealing with his own social security a hassle."

Shi Ling: ...

He could only pat Ji Mingxiu's shoulder in consolation.